10 :  t h r e e ' s  a  c r o w d

The front door creaked open. Kyuhyun entered the house, kicking off his shoes, and Hyukjae followed suit, trailing close behind him. They both noticed the worn pair of brown loafers placed neatly by the door, signifying only one thing; he was here. They dropped their things onto the couch and wandered around the house, calling out his name.

"Lee Donghae! I know you're here, you sick son of a !" Kyuhyun yelled, managing as cheerful a voice as he could muster, popping his head into the kitchen. "I called you 36 times and you had the cheek not to answer even once."

No one. He returned to the living room. Hyukjae, who had disappeared into one of the bedrooms, also reemerged having found no one. The two of them exchanged looks before approaching the last known room in the house; the forbidden bedroom; the room that Kyuhyun always made sure Donghae would avoid. Kyuhyun reached his hand out in a bid to turn the doorknob, but in a split second, retracted his hand. Apparently, the door was already open. He shot a look at Hyukjae, raising a finger to his lips, before quietly squeezing through the crack. Hyukjae waited outside, anxious.

"Donghae?"

Silence ensued, and then out of nowhere, a loud wail thundered through the house.

"Oh my god, Lee Donghae!"

Kyuhyun cried out in shock and rushed forward, kneeling in front of the brunet. He pulled Donghae, who was huddled on the floor in the corner of the room, into his arms, embracing him tightly. The man was convulsing. Kyuhyun his hair, hushing and rocking him back and forth. Hyukjae, who had been listening from outside, burst into the room upon hearing Kyuhyun's cry. He joined the pair on the floor, scrambling about frantically.

"Kyuhyun, w-what's happening? What's wrong with Donghae?!" He asked, hardly able to hide the distress on his face.

Rocking back and forth, Kyuhyun pulled Donghae closer.

"It's okay, Donghae, it's okay. I'm here. You're safe. You're safe."

Donghae's body gradually stopped spasming, but tears continued to trickle down his cheeks. His eyes darted about for several seconds, before refocusing. He stared straight at Kyuhyun, catching his breath. Kyuhyun smiled reassuringly in response. He released his grip on Donghae's shoulders and scooted, giving the man enough space to shift about, eventually propping himself up. Donghae blinked twice, shaking his head before blinking some more.

"Hey bud," Kyuhyun grinned. "Missed me?"

"I...what..." Donghae squeezed his eyes shut, massaging his temples. "I need to...to lie down..."

Kyuhyun and Hyukjae helped Donghae up onto his feet, prompting him to stagger towards the bed. He sat down at the edge of the bed, still massaging his temples. Kyuhyun stepped back, placing a hand on Hyukjae's shoulder.

"I...no, we'll go make you something to drink." Kyuhyun tugged on Hyukjae's shoulder.

Catching on quickly, Hyukjae stood up and followed Kyuhyun out of the room. They hurried through the hallway, seeking refuge in the kitchen. Kyuhyun raided the cabinets for whatever he needed to make a drink for his best friend, while Hyukjae leaned against the wall, arms folded.

"So..." Hyukjae muttered out of the blue. "What happened back there?"

Back facing the auburn-haired man, Kyuhyun retrieved a cup and teaspoon from a drawer. He the kitchen tap, rinsing them.

"It happens a lot," he explained almost nonchalantly, drying the cup and teaspoon with a dish rag. "I've gotten used to it by now. Donghae has these random moments where he'd go into some sort of fit. Sometimes he calms down and ends up being able to remember a chunk from his past, and other times, that's all it is; a fit. There isn't much you can do but to wait it out with him."

Hyukjae rubbed his thumb across his lower lip, deep in thought.

"It's some sort of side effect of the traumatic brain injury he suffered from because of the accident," Kyuhyun continued, placing a kettle on the stove.

He the stove and took several steps back, folding his arms as if to mimic Hyukjae's stance, a derisive grin plastered across his face.

"Don't worry too much," he reassured. "The doctor said it's part of the recovery process."

Hyukjae faked a smile. He wasn't sure he could be patient enough to wait for the recovery process to complete itself, to be honest. And afterall, the two of them had come up with some sort of plan to elicit answers, drunk answers, from Donghae during their lunch date earlier that day.

"Are you perhaps gonna ask him if he remembers anything then?"

Kyuhyun straightened his back.

"Actually," he uttered, adjusting his glasses. "I thought maybe it'd be a good idea for you to ask him."

Hyukjae pointed at himself in disbelief.

"Me?"

"Yes, you . You." Kyuhyun reiterated through gritted teeth, rolling his eyes.

The kettle whistled. The bespectacled man swiftly turned off the stove and picked up the kettle, pouring boiled water into the cup that he had rinsed earlier. Reaching for a tea sachet from inside one of the kitchen cabinets, he rolled his eyes once more.

"What are you waiting for, you idiot?" Kyuhyun dropped the sachet into the mug of hot water and turned to glare at the awkward redhead.

Hyukjae panicked, darting his eyes. He scrambled about for something, anything, to look like he knew what he was doing.

"Uh. Right, I'll...I'm gonna..." He pointed towards the bedroom with one hand, rubbing the back of his head with the other.

Kyuhyun nodded in acknowledgment, lips pressed together tightly. He watched as Hyukjae exited the kitchen awkwardly, glancing back every few seconds as if to double check for reassurance that he was doing the right thing. Shaking his head, Kyuhyun stirred the cup of tea that he had prepared for Donghae.

"Ah, Lee Donghae," he lamented to himself. "You fell in love with a complete . What a match made in heaven."

Hyukjae took off his dress shirt, leaving only his white t-shirt on, before tying the dress shirt around his waist. He paced up and down the hallway, biting his lip anxiously. What the heck do I ask him? How's your head? Can you tell me the nickname you gave me when we were nineteen? Do you remember how we used to make out in the park? He snapped out of his inner dialogue, ruffling his hair in frustration. He was terribly awkward when it came to making spontaneous conversations. Ironically, that very trait was what Donghae had found particularly endearing about him. It wasn't of any help now, though. Hyukjae continued to pace up and down the corridor, thinking about how to start a conversation with the man. Would it be too much if I went straight into asking if he remembers anything? He scratched his head, paced once more before stopping abruptly in front of the bedroom door. I know. He grinned to himself. I'll tell him about lunch with Kyuhyun.

The gap in the doorway widened. Hyukjae squeezed through it, smiling sheepishly at Donghae, who was now sitting upright against the bedpost with his legs outstretched in front of him. He sat down on the bed, next to the man's feet, looking around the room awkwardly.

"Hey, Hyukjae." Donghae called out, poking his foot into the man's hip.

Wincing, Hyukjae turned. His cheeks burned a bright pink, and for some reason, he couldn't make eye contact. Donghae laughed.

"Come here," he gestured, patting the empty space next to him on the bed.

Without hesitating for even a second, Hyukjae crawled over to Donghae's side, kneeling with his legs folded beneath his thighs. He stared at Donghae, wide-eyed and unblinking. Donghae lolled his head sideways, resembling a curious puppy.

"Why are you sitting like that?" he pointed out, wagging his finger at Hyukjae. "This isn't a Japanese tea ceremony, y'know."

Hyukjae's blank expression gradually broke into a smile.

"Ah, you're back." He teased gently. "The sassy Donghae that judged me for my outfit the day we met at the waterfall for the first time is back."

Donghae returned the smile, bowing his head. After all those years, even if he wasn't able to remember anything, he still felt shy in front of the man. The tip of his ears reddened.

"How are you feeling?" Hyukjae tilted his head, a look of concern replacing his smile.

He waited patiently and watched as Donghae looked for the right words to say, his eyes darting frantically. Then, he reached into his shirt, pulling out a necklace of sorts, holding it up against the light. There was a pendant at the end of the necklace; a heartshaped locket, glistening. He opened the locket and showed it to Hyukjae.

Hyukjae leaned forward, taking a closer look at the photos nestled in the locket. He moved his gaze from the locket to Donghae's face.

"Are those your..." Hyukjae paused, the brief silence finishing his sentence for him.

Donghae looked away uncomfortably. "I guess."

"Where did you find it?"

"Don't know. Some box."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Don't know."

Hyukjae pursed his lips. Donghae's short answers were enough of a hint to tell him to drop the subject, even if he was dying to find out what had happened before he had arrived at the house with Kyuhyun, and whether it had anything to do with the locket. Sensing his malaise, Hyukjae reached out for the doll perched on Donghae's lap and turned it around, taking in its details. He changed the subject.

"Hey, what's this?" He asked, waving the tiger cub doll in front of Donghae's face. "Sweetheart, you're too old for soft toys."

"No I'm not, eomma."

Donghae's eyes widened. Sweetheart, you're too old for soft toys, a voice in his head echoed. Flashing images of the silhouette of a man and woman appeared in his mind again, this time with faces; the faces of the couple in the locket. Donghae threw his head into his hands, groaning and grimacing. He began to convulse again, drawing his knees to his chest.

"St-stop please," he begged, rocking back and forth with tears streaming down his face. "S-s-stop!"

Hyukjae immediately dropped the doll and crawled towards Donghae, hugging him the same way Kyuhyun had earlier. He hushed Donghae, tightening his embrace. Donghae's body jerked erratically for several minutes, threatening to break free from Hyukjae's hold, but Hyukjae persisted, hugging tightly and kissing the top of Donghae's head repeatedly. 

"I'm here, Hae. I'm here," Hyukjae repeated again and again, hoping the mellow tone of his voice would be able to calm the brunet down. "I'm here. I've always been here. I'll always, always be here, okay? I'll never let anything happen to you, Hae. I promise."

"I—" Donghae wailed. "I j-just want—"

"Shhh..." Hyukjae the man's hair. "I know, Hae. I know."

Donghae's body jerked several more times, each jolt weaker than the one before it, before going limp entirely. He melted into Hyukjae's arms, feeble and breathing heavily. Hyukjae lifted Donghae's chin, wiping the trail the man's tears left behind with his other hand. He closed in, kissing Donghae's forehead gently. When he realised that Donghae neither moved nor resisted, he pulled away, looking at Donghae with an expression that showed both relief and scepticism.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, worried that the kiss on the forehead was too much.

He picked up the doll and placed it back on Donghae's lap. Donghae watched him, his face untelling. They sat in silence. Just then, Kyuhyun knocked on the door, letting himself in before either of them had the chance to give him the permission to.

"Young master," he quipped, "your tea is ready. In fact, it's cold now."

Kyuhyun carefully handed the cup of tea that he had made to Donghae, eyeing him suspiciously as he did.

"Wait, have you been crying?!" Kyuhyun questioned, staring at his best friend before glaring at Hyukjae. "Did you make him cry?!"

Hyukjae's hands shot up in front of him as if to defend himself against a ball that had been thrown at him.

"No! I swear I di—"

"He didn't make me cry, Kyu." Donghae answered firmly. "I had another fit."

Shifting about in his place on the bed, Kyuhyun sneered.

"That had better be the case," he warned, scowling at Hyukjae before turning to Donghae, softening his appearance. "How are you holdin' up, bud?"

Donghae set his cup down on the bedside table next to him and once again pulled the necklace out from inside his shirt, this time removing it altogether. He handed the necklace to Kyuhyun, bemused. Kyuhyun dangled the necklace from his wrist, an unreadable look painted across his face as he raised it high enough for the locket to be directly in his line of view.

"Open it." Donghae nodded towards the locket.

Kyuhyun took to his instruction immediately, gasping upon seeing the photographs in the locket.

"Ah. No wonder you cried." He remarked, nodding his head. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Hyukjae looked from Kyuhyun to Donghae, then back at Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun's face was solemn. Donghae, on the other hand, looked hesitant and insecure. He opened his mouth, making a noise that hinted at his uncertainty. Then he nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. Let's talk about it then," Kyuhyun said encouragingly.

Listening in on the conversation like a spectator watching a soap opera off a television screen, Hyukjae furrowed his brows. He knew it was stupid of him to be feeling jealous; the man was Donghae's best friend afterall; but he couldn't help it. He noticed how Donghae had readily agreed to opening up about the locket when Kyuhyun asked him about it, whereas when Hyukjae had asked, Donghae had only had a short "don't know" to offer in return. He cussed himself mentally and shook his head subtly as if to ward off the unwanted sense of jealousy. You have to regain his trust, you dumb, he told himself off subconsciously. He can't remember you. He continued to listen on to the best friends' conversation.

"I...well I kinda figured out that they're my parents," Donghae admitted, holding his palm out so Kyuhyun could return the necklace. "And I kept having painful flashbacks when I found this..."

Donghae picked up the tiger cub. "...this doll." He scratched his head.

"What I wanna know is," he put on the necklace, pursing his lips, "why didn't you let me come into this room any sooner?"

Hyukjae looked at Kyuhyun for a reaction. The man adjusted his glasses, slack-jawed.

"Honestly," he began to explain himself. "it's because appa and eomma told me not to let you into the room. They locked it. They didn't even allow me to come into the room to retrieve anything for you. I'm not sure why, though."

Donghae fidgeted, staring at his outstretched legs.

"I've been having so many flashbacks lately." He touched the locket at the end of his necklace, rubbing it with his finger. "I don't know how to describe it. It's like I'm slowly remembering more and more. It's been seven, nearly eight years since the accident and I lived pretty much in the dark for most of the years, and then—"

Donghae looked up and nodded towards Hyukjae, prompting Kyuhyun to look at him too. Hyukjae froze.

"—and then you appear out of nowhere and I start having these weird fits again, except they're a lot more vivid."

Kyuhyun rubbed his face, frowning. "Do you remember anything about him, though? He claims he's a huge deal to you."

The hint of sarcasm in the man's tone of voice cued Hyukjae's eyes to roll as far back as they could, annoyed. And yet, Hyukjae waited for an answer anxiously. Donghae shook his head.

"No. I don't remember anything about him at all."

Hyukjae stifled a gasp, concealing the painful ache that pooled in his system. Kyuhyun smirked.

"Guess you aren't such a huge deal afterall, huh, Hyukjae." He jibed, reaching for the empty cup on the bedside table.

Donghae tilted his head.

"Wait," he uttered. "Neither of you told me how come you're both here, together."

Kyuhyun and Hyukjae exchanged looks.

"Uh, we—"

"We bumped into each other at some diner. Hyukjae recognised me so he came up to me and we hung out," Kyuhyun explained, flustered.

They stared at Donghae, wondering if he'd buy into the story.

"Okay," Donghae said, studying the ceiling, "but what are you doing in Busan, Hyukjae? Don't you have things to do at the resort? Wait—are you stalking me?!"

"No way!" Hyukjae and Kyuhyun shout in unison.

The pair rubbed their heads sheepishly. Hyukjae attempted to explain.

"I met a client at a nearby cafe for a discussion. His business is based in Busan. I got hungry right after so I dropped by the diner, where I met Kyuhyun," Hyukjae lied. "Found him familiar as hell and then I realised that he's your best friend."

Donghae looked to and fro between the two of them, rubbing his chin.

"That's nice," he remarked simply.

The trio smiled at one another; Donghae, sincerely and the other two, in relief. Kyuhyun cleared his throat.

"All this talk of diners and lunch is making me thirsty," he said, deadpan. "I'm gonna go get you some more tea. Maybe I'll even get myself some. Hey Hyukjae, want some tea?"

Hyukjae shook his head. "No thanks."

Annoyed that his hint had completely flown past the auburn-haired man head, Kyuhyun tutted.

"Well I'm gonna need you to help me get something off the shelf to make some more tea so you have to come help me, birdbrain," he crosstalked.

"Wha—oh, oh okay," Hyukjae replied sheepishly, climbing off the bed. "Stay here and rest, Donghae."

The two of them disappeared out the bedroom, leaving Donghae there, awkward and confused at the exchange that had happened right in front of him. He scratched his head, brows raised.

"Funny," he mumbled to himself. "Why would Kyuhyun need Hyukjae's help getting something off a shelf? He's taller than Hyukjae."

The brunet cuddled the doll that he'd placed on his lap earlier, brushing the thought off.